Last updated: June 25, 2026
Project: Remember Minab
Purpose: Truth, memory, accountability, and protection of children in war

Executive Summary

On February 28, 2026, the first day of a wider United States–Israeli military campaign against Iran, Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, was struck during the late morning.

Children were inside. Teachers and school staff were trying to help students leave after the beginning of attacks across the country. Parents were rushing toward the school, hoping to take their sons and daughters home.

Many never did.

Public reports, satellite analysis, verified videos, photographs, and human-rights investigations describe a devastating strike that destroyed much of the school building and caused mass civilian casualties. Later official figures reported 156 people killed, including 120 students and 26 teachers. Earlier reports cited higher figures, including 168 and more than 175 victims. Because casualty numbers changed over time, Remember Minab records both the early reports and the later revised figures, while treating the most recent official figure of 156 as the current reported total.

The central truth does not change:

A school was struck.
Children died.
Families were left searching for bodies, names, traces, and answers.
The world must not look away.

Remember Minab condemns the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School and calls for a full, transparent, independent investigation; public release of findings; accountability for those responsible; reparations for families; and stronger protection for children and schools in war.

The School

Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School was located in Minab, a city in southern Iran’s Hormozgan Province.

Reuters reported that the school had a visible public presence before the strike, including an online presence, archived website materials, a local business listing, photographs of children and school activities, and visual signs of its use as a school. Reuters also reported that satellite imagery showed school-related markings and features visible before the attack.

Human Rights Watch reviewed videos, photographs, and satellite imagery and reported that the school was walled off from surrounding areas and had separate street access. The organization also documented visible school features, including painted walls and a schoolyard.

Amnesty International reported that boys and girls attended the school and were taught on separate floors. Its investigation relied on audiovisual material, satellite imagery, and independent sources with direct information about the situation in Minab.

These details matter because international humanitarian law requires attackers to verify that targets are military objectives and to take all feasible precautions to avoid or minimize civilian harm. A school is a protected civilian object unless it is being used for military purposes. Even when a military objective is nearby, the presence of children and teachers imposes strict legal and moral duties on attacking forces.

The Morning of February 28, 2026

The attack occurred on a Saturday, the first day of the Iranian school week.

According to public reporting and human-rights investigations, military strikes across Iran began in the morning. The Guardian reported that parents had recently dropped their children off at school when they found themselves racing back as bombs began to fall across the country.

Human Rights Watch reported that the first reports of United States and Israeli attacks appeared online before 10:00 a.m. local time. According to a statement cited by Human Rights Watch from the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, the school administration called parents to collect their children, but the time between the school-closure announcement and the explosion was extremely short.

The same reporting indicates that many families could not arrive in time. Some students came from surrounding villages or lived farther from the school. Teachers and school staff remained inside to help children leave.

The reported time of the strike differs slightly across sources. Reuters cited local media reporting that the attack occurred around 10:45 a.m. local time. Human Rights Watch reported that satellite imagery showed the school intact at 10:23 a.m., while the first video of the attack surfaced before 11:47 a.m. Amnesty International described the strike as taking place on the morning of February 28.

For this reason, Remember Minab describes the strike as occurring in the late morning of February 28, 2026.

The Strike

Multiple sources indicate that Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School was directly hit.

Amnesty International concluded that the school building was directly struck with guided weapons. It stated that the attack killed and injured civilians, including children, parents, and teachers, and caused extensive damage and destruction.

Reuters reported that the school was among several buildings struck on February 28. Its visual investigation found that the school building was destroyed during the barrage. Reuters also reported that satellite images after the attack showed multiple explosions along a roughly 325-meter axis, including the destroyed school.

Human Rights Watch reported that satellite imagery showed at least eight impact sites across the area, including severe damage to the school. HRW stated that the pattern of strikes and visible munition entry points indicated the use of highly accurate, guided munitions rather than a random or failed weapon.

Reuters consulted munitions experts regarding video of the attack and missile evidence. Four of five experts who reviewed the footage said the missile was likely a Tomahawk; one thought it could have been a glide bomb. Amnesty International also reported that audiovisual evidence and missile remnants published by Iranian state media indicated that a U.S.-manufactured Tomahawk missile was likely used. Reuters separately reported that U.S. military investigators believed it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible, although their investigation had not reached a final conclusion at that time.

Whatever the final investigative finding, the known facts require accountability: a school was struck during the school day, children were inside, teachers were present, and families suffered mass civilian loss.

Immediate Aftermath

Reports from the immediate aftermath describe chaos, smoke, rubble, and desperate rescue attempts.

The Guardian reported that video from the scene showed smoke rising from burnt-out walls, debris spread across the road, and hundreds of onlookers gathered at the site, some in obvious distress. The Guardian said the Persian fact-checking service Factnameh cross-referenced the video with other photographs of the school site and concluded that it was authentic; Reuters also said it had verified the footage as being from the school.

Human Rights Watch verified videos and photographs recorded immediately after the strike and during search-and-rescue operations. The organization reported that videos showed black smoke billowing from the school, part of the roof collapsed, and people gathered around the site screaming. HRW also reviewed images of ambulances, body bags, and rescue efforts.

Reuters reported that the school building was destroyed during the barrage. Human Rights Watch reported that satellite imagery from March 1 and March 4 showed changes at the Minab Hermud Cemetery, including rows of freshly dug individual graves.

The Washington Post reported that thousands gathered in Minab to mourn children and staff killed in the strike, with mourners carrying coffins and photographs of young victims.

For the families, the aftermath was not only destruction. It was identification. It was searching. It was waiting. It was trying to find a child in a place where a classroom had become rubble.

Casualties

The death toll was reported differently at different stages.

Early reports cited numbers including more than 100 children, 168 victims, and more than 175 children and teachers. Later official reporting cited 156 people killed, including:

120 students
26 teachers
7 parents
1 school bus driver
1 clinic technician
1 unborn child

Al Jazeera reported the revised total of 156 and gave the breakdown of 120 students, 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, a clinic technician, and the six-month fetus of a teacher.

Amnesty International’s English page reported 156 killed, including 120 children. Some Amnesty pages and earlier summaries used 168, while Amnesty Netherlands later noted that the death toll had been updated to 156 in line with the most recent official figures.

Remember Minab therefore uses the following wording:

Local authorities later reported 156 people killed, including 120 students and 26 teachers. Earlier reports cited higher figures.

This is the most accurate and responsible way to preserve the record while acknowledging that the numbers changed as recovery and identification continued.

But before every number, there was a name.
Before every statistic, there was a child.
Before every report, there was a family waiting at a school gate.

Makan Nasiri and the Search for Remains

Among the children killed was Makan Nasiri, a seven-year-old first-grade student.

Al Jazeera reported on April 23, 2026, that Makan’s parents were the only parents still unable to bury the remains of their child after the school was bombed. According to Al Jazeera, after nearly seven weeks of searching for remains, authorities told his parents that his case had been closed.

Later, Iranian media quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary reported that experts believed the missile had struck Makan directly. Those reports stated that after more than 100 DNA samples were taken and examined, no trace of Makan’s body was identified.

Only a torn schoolbag and one shoe were reportedly found.

This is why Makan became a symbol of the Minab tragedy: not only a child killed in a school, but a child whose family was left without a body, without a grave, without a final touch, and without a farewell.

Responsibility and Investigations

Reuters reported on March 6, 2026, that U.S. military investigators believed it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the apparent strike on the school, citing two U.S. officials. Reuters also reported that the investigators had not reached a final conclusion and that new evidence could potentially emerge.

Reuters later reported that the United States may have used outdated targeting data. A Reuters visual investigation also documented the school’s years-long online presence and public signs of use as a school before it was bombed.

Amnesty International concluded that the United States failed to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm. It called the strike unlawful and said those responsible for planning and executing the attack must be held accountable.

Human Rights Watch said the attack should be investigated as a war crime. It said the United States and Israel should immediately assess their responsibility, make findings public, fully account for civilian harm, and prosecute anyone responsible for war crimes.

Reuters reported that the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child was deeply disturbed by the deaths of children after the bombing of the school. The committee emphasized that children must be protected from war.

Reuters also reported that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Washington to complete its investigation and publish the results. Türk said there must be justice for the terrible harm done.

Remember Minab supports these calls. The investigation must be public, independent, transparent, and capable of identifying the chain of responsibility.

Why This Was Not “Just a Mistake”

Even if an attack is described as a mistake, international humanitarian law still requires answers.

The law of armed conflict does not only prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians. It also requires parties to:

Verify targets before striking
Distinguish civilians and civilian objects from military objectives
Take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm
Avoid disproportionate attacks
Give effective advance warning where circumstances permit
Investigate alleged unlawful attacks
Provide reparations for civilian harm

Amnesty International stated that if attackers failed to identify the building as a school and nevertheless proceeded, it would indicate gross negligence and a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Amnesty also stated that if the school’s presence was known but the attack proceeded without feasible precautions, the conduct must be investigated as a war crime.

Human Rights Watch similarly said that those responsible should have known whether a school was there and whether it would be full of children and teachers before midday.

For Remember Minab, the moral point is simple:

A school is not an acceptable risk.
A classroom is not a battlefield.
A child is not collateral damage.

Unanswered Questions

The tragedy of Minab leaves urgent questions that must be answered publicly:

Who authorized the strike that hit the school?
What intelligence was used to select the target?
Was the school identified before the strike?
Were the school’s public signs, website, photographs, and location reviewed?
Were children and teachers expected to be present at that hour?
Were all feasible precautions taken to prevent civilian harm?
Was any warning given?
Who reviewed and approved the strike?
Was artificial intelligence or automated data processing used in target selection?
Why were outdated data or incorrect assumptions not corrected?
Why have families not received full public answers?
What reparations and long-term support will be provided to victims and survivors?

These questions are not political rhetoric. They are the minimum demands of truth and justice.

A Witness in the Spirit of Zainab

After Karbala, Zainab stood before power and refused to let the truth be buried. The rulers tried to turn a moral crime into a political victory. Zainab preserved the memory of the victims, named the injustice, and made silence impossible.

Remember Minab is inspired by that duty.

This does not mean every tragedy is identical to Karbala. It means the moral pattern is familiar: power acts, children die, families grieve, officials speak in the language of war, and the world is asked to move on.

We refuse to move on.

Remember Minab exists so that grief becomes memory, memory becomes truth, and truth becomes a demand for accountability.

Conclusion

On February 28, 2026, the war reached a school.

Children were inside.
Teachers were trying to protect them.
Parents were running toward the school.

For many families, home never came again.

The exact numbers matter.
The evidence matters.
The timeline matters.
The legal findings matter.

But the truth begins here:

A school was hit.
Children died.
Families were shattered.
And the world must not look away.

Remember Minab condemns the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School and calls for truth, accountability, reparations, and protection for every child in every school, in every war.

References and Source Links

1. Reuters. “Bombed Iranian girls school had vivid website and yearslong online presence.” Published March 12, 2026.
This Reuters visual investigation documented the school’s public online presence, archived website, photographs of children and school activities, satellite imagery, and other signs that the building functioned as a school before the strike.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/bombed-iranian-girls-school-had-vivid-website-yearslong-online-presence-2026-03-12/

2. Reuters. “U.S. investigation points to likely U.S. responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say.” Published March 6, 2026; updated March 10, 2026.
Reuters reported that U.S. military investigators believed it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the strike, while noting that the investigation had not reached a final conclusion.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-investigation-points-likely-us-responsibility-iran-school-strike-sources-say-2026-03-06/

3. Reuters. “U.S. may have struck Iranian girls’ school after using outdated targeting data.” Published March 11, 2026.
Reuters reported that the strike may have resulted from reliance on outdated targeting data.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-may-have-struck-iranian-girls-school-after-using-outdated-targeting-data-2026-03-11/

4. Reuters. “Pentagon elevates investigation into Iran school strike.” Published March 13, 2026.
Reuters reported that the U.S. military elevated its investigation into the strike following reports of likely U.S. responsibility.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pentagon-elevates-investigation-into-iran-school-strike-2026-03-13/

5. Reuters. “UN body investigating fatal strike on Iranian girls’ school.” Published March 17, 2026.
Reuters reported that a U.N. inquiry had begun investigating the fatal strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh School.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-body-investigating-fatal-strike-iranian-girls-school-2026-03-17/

6. Reuters. “UN ‘deeply disturbed’ by strike on Iran school that killed 160 children.” Published March 4, 2026.
Reuters reported that the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child was deeply disturbed by the deaths of children after the bombing of Shajareh Tayyebeh School and emphasized that children must be protected from war.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-experts-deeply-disturbed-by-child-deaths-escalating-middle-east-conflict-2026-03-04/

7. Reuters. “UN rights chief urges U.S. to conclude probe into deadly Iran school strike.” Published March 27, 2026.
Reuters reported that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Washington to conclude its investigation and publish the results.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/un-rights-chief-urges-us-conclude-probe-into-deadly-iran-school-strike-2026-03-27/

8. Amnesty International. “USA/Iran: Those responsible for deadly and unlawful U.S. strike on school that killed over 100 children must be held accountable.” Published March 16, 2026.
Amnesty International concluded that those responsible for planning and executing the unlawful strike must be held accountable and stated that U.S. forces failed to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm.
Link: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/usa-iran-those-responsible-for-deadly-and-unlawful-us-strike-on-school-that-killed-over-100-children-must-be-held-accountable/

9. Amnesty International Belgium. “Amnesty’s research on the airstrike on the Minab school – background information.” Published March 2026.
This background document provides additional details about the timing of the attack, the school closure, parents rushing to collect children, and the role of teachers and staff who stayed to help students leave.
Link: https://www.amnesty-international.be/sites/default/files/download-files/2026-03/Amnestys-research-on-the-airstrike-on-the-Minab-school-%E2%80%93-background-information-160326.pdf

10. Amnesty International Netherlands. “Dodelijke aanval VS op Iraanse school kan niet zonder gevolgen blijven.” Published March 16, 2026; updated April 28, 2026.
Amnesty Netherlands noted that the death toll was updated from 168 to 156 in line with the most recent official figures.
Link: https://www.amnesty.nl/actueel/onderzoek-vs-luchtaanval-school-minab-iran

11. Human Rights Watch. “US/Israel: Investigate Iran School Attack as a War Crime.” Published March 7, 2026.
Human Rights Watch said the attack should be investigated as a war crime and documented videos, photographs, satellite imagery, impact sites, school features, and legal concerns under the laws of war.
Link: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/07/us/israel-investigate-iran-school-attack-as-a-war-crime

12. The Guardian. “‘The most bitter news’: Iran reels as more than 100 children reportedly killed in school bombing.” Published February 28, 2026.
The Guardian reported early accounts of the school bombing, parents rushing back to school, video verification by Factnameh and Reuters, and statements from Iranian health officials.
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/children-dead-as-missile-hits-elementary-school-in-southern-iran

13. The Guardian. “‘Her head was broken’: parents at Iranian school bombed by U.S. missile describe day their children died.” Published March 28, 2026.
This report documented families’ accounts of the day their children died and their demand for answers and accountability.
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/28/parents-victims-iran-minab-shajareh-tayyebeh-school-bombing-describe-day

14. Al Jazeera. “Makan Nasiri, the only child still missing from the school bombed in Iran.” Published April 23, 2026.
Al Jazeera reported that Makan Nasiri’s parents were the only ones unable to bury their child’s remains after the school bombing and that authorities had closed his case after nearly seven weeks of searching.
Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/23/makan-nasiri-the-only-child-from-the-school-bombed-in-irans-minab

15. The Washington Post. “Iranians mourn children, teachers killed in school strike.” Published March 4, 2026.
The Washington Post reported that thousands gathered in Minab to mourn victims of the strike, including children and school staff.
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2026/iran-school-attack-funeral/

16. Asr Iran / Mehr News Agency. Report quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary on Makan Nasiri. Published June 2026.
This Persian-language report states that, according to judicial authorities, experts believed the missile directly struck Makan Nasiri; after more than 100 DNA samples, no trace of his body was found, and only a torn bag and one shoe were recovered.
Link: https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/1172728/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B5%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%AF